


Missing you?

by kbirb



Series: Little AUs, as requested by my tumblr followers [8]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Implied Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Or more like an off-screen headcanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-28
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-11 17:57:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4446149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kbirb/pseuds/kbirb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles has this habit of ranting to Derek, even after Derek is long gone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Missing you?

**Author's Note:**

> Because of [ this post ](http://crossroadswrite.tumblr.com/post/124674172465/quick-someone-give-me-an-au-where-stiles) that [Jenny ](http://archiveofourown.org/users/lynxzpanther/pseuds/lynxzpanther) reblogged and tagged with pleases and thank yous. So even though the OP and I are not mutuals, I'm counting this in my Little AUs series!

Stiles knew it was ridiculous, but Stiles specialized in ridiculous. Derek being around had been easy, because he never objected to Stiles’ dumb rants and always had Stiles’ favorite soda (Diet Coke, but Dr. Pepper was a close second) in the fridge. Derek was grumpy and sour, but his snide remarks at the end of the rambling were always worth it. Plus sometimes, he’d smile, and a Derek Hale smile could actually light up a room. And when Stiles would explain how much they all needed Derek’s help, he seemed to show up in the knick of time, and no one understood why. Although Scott started realizing Stiles smelled like Derek a lot. And maybe something else when Derek showed up. But he kept his mouth shut, like the wonderful best friend he was.

But then, Derek left and, even though the rest of the pack was still around, Stiles just didn’t have a place to rant. So, in came the ridiculous part. About a month after Derek had slightly cleared out, the place hadn’t sold. In fact, it wasn’t even on the market… Not that Stiles was checking. So, he started just going there, where all the furniture was sitting and the door was unlocked. At first, there was still a few sodas in there, but then Stiles kept going anyway. He unplugged everything for Derek, all the while ranting about a new subject. Dogs running loose at the park, people who declaw their cats, the giant size of the new iPhone, and how cute it is when pugs snort. Everytime he just needed to talk about whatever, he’d go to Derek’s and sit on the sofa or at the counter… And just talk.

Part of the ridiculousness was that Stiles thought eventually Derek would be there to listen to him. Sometimes he’d rant about what was going on with Beacon Hills, in hopes Derek would come out of the woodwork to help them. So he’d talk about the newest disaster or how they couldn’t help themselves out. They needed someone just a bit older, someone to take care of the pack the way Derek was supposed to be doing. Of course, no one ever wanted to talk about Derek, so Stiles just kept that to himself. Well, sometimes Scott would let him talk, but that’s because Scott was his best friend and was honestly obligated to do so. He also told the apartment all about it. In fact, one time he managed to rant for 3 hours about missing Derek and needing Derek. He always just stayed at the loft talking about problems or nothing, like there might be recording devices all around that would bring the Hale back. But, of course, that wasn’t a thing. That was called Stiles’ rampant imagination. Something Derek had always put up with, no matter how ridiculous.

Months passed and Derek wasn’t back. The pack was learning to handle things on their own, but it was weird. If there was even one change in Stiles’ life, he could barely handle it. Which was why it was just a weekly (sometimes twice…) thing to go to Derek’s place, because Derek being gone was too big of a change. But so was the pack changing and growing, or Scott not hanging out with him as much. Missing Isaac (weird) was also too big of a change. Everything was always changing in the world, but he never could actually handle it as well as he pretended to. That rant was a two hour one, but one that he did multiple times. Derek had heard it, Scott had heard it, and now the empty loft heard it once a month. At least.

Another handful of months passed. Stiles’ visits were less frequent to the loft due to college preparations, but he still had the routine. Routines could be really important when you have anxiety, something he’d learned as a kid from his mom when she’d be anxious or panic-y.

One day, Stiles walked into the apartment, and went for the fridge. Sometimes, when he was already mid-rant he did this. Logically, in the months passing, the fridge was unplugged and there was no soda there. But mid-rant meant that he wasn’t focusing, and he just needed the soda that Derek used to have for him. Talking away, he opened the fridge, pulled out the Diet Coke and kept talking. It popped open with a sizzle as Stiles sat down at the counter, pulled mac n cheese out of his bag (sometimes he brought food) and kept talking. And then stopped, looked at the soda, and realized something. There was a cold Diet Coke in his hand. Where did this come from? Why was the fridge even on? Literally, what the fuck?

Slowly he looked up, and turned to the end of the counter, where Derek had used to sit when Stiles was ranting. And there he was, looking mildly surly but also amused, crunching on cereal like this was an utterly normal thing. Jaw open, Stiles couldn’t even muster up the next part of his rant, just blinking slowly at the Hale.

Derek gave him a small smile. “No go on, don’t let me interrupt your rant about butterflies and how they’re evil,” he said. “It’s really a good one.” Because only Derek could think a rant about evil butterflies was a good one, probably just because it was Stiles’ rant. (Was that wishful thinking?)

This was a change Stiles could handle. It was like an anti-change, something good happening that reverted his world back to where it should be. And so he continued, because ranting was what he was good at.

“It’s just that they flutter around. Have you been to a butterfly house, Derek? Have you. Because they’re intentionally rude and refuse to humor you. They just flutter their wings and drink nectar and ignore that you paid ten dollars to hang out with them! What is that about? But then again, who would actually want those bugs all over them?! That’s terrifying. Awful. It’s like they’re trying to take over you body…”

And everything was alright.

**Author's Note:**

> The usual DISCLAIMER: These characters still don't belong to me. They do, however, still belong to the people who write/produce/direct/own Teen Wolf. So yeah.


End file.
